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Bud and Lou
Bud and Lou are the Joker and Harley Quinn's two pet laughing or spotted hyenas. Their names are references to the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. The Joker's hyenas have also appeared in Batman: The Animated Series, The Batman and the comics, but remained unnamed or simply referred to as "Babies" by Harley Quinn. Joker finally confirmed their names as Bud and Lou however in The New Batman Adventures episode "Joker's Millions". History Pre-New 52 In the comic continuity before the New 52 reboot, Bud & Lou were explained to have been taken in by Harley and Joker after raiding the Gotham Zoo. They became extremely loyal and loving to Harley and remained her pets even after her arrest. At one point in time they were stolen by white-collar criminals who tried to auction them off as exotic animals but Harley with the help of Poison Ivy found them out and destroyed the racket. New 52 Sometime around the "Death of the Family" storyline (although not part of the actual story), Harley Quinn escapes the Joker's attempt to make her "fully realized" by dropping her into a vat of chemicals. However, she is confronted by Bud and Lou, who both have been turned rabid by the Joker to turn them into "pure animal instinct." They both attack Harley, who is forced to kill them, much to her sorrow. In the 2016 run of "Harley Quinn", it is revealed that Harley managed to keep them alive and gave them to a zoo where they both had pups. She also reveal that their full names are "Budsie" and "Louie". Characteristics In Krypto the Superdog, both hyenas have red fur with black spots and black rings around their eyes. Bud wears a purple collar, has a black right front paw, and speaks in a higher voice. Lou wears a green collar, has a black left front paw and right hind paw, and speaks in a more gravelly voice. (However, in Batman: The Animated Series they are identical and both wear red collars; in The Batman, they are identical, wear no collars, and are grayish in color.) Both hyenas have a distinctive odor. This was first mentioned by Ace in the episode "The Cat and the Bat". Later on, in the episode "Funny Business", Ace told Krypto he could smell their evil. Like their master, Bud and Lou love to laugh maniacally and play jokes on their foes. Like the other animal characters on Krypto the Superdog, they also seem to be quite intelligent (a reference to the intelligence of actual hyenas). For instance, in "Bat Hound and the Robin", while stealing pillowcases for The Joker to carry loot in, they deduced that the pillowcases made of one material would be better because pillowcases made from the other fabric would shrink in the wash, meaning less loot could be put in them. Also, The Joker has given the hyenas items to use in combating Bat Hound. At one point in "The Dark Hound Strikes!", Bud pretended to give himself up. When Ace seized Bud's collar in his fangs, he received an electric shock. Bud then announced he had a joy-buzzer collar and laughed. In "Funny Business", the hyenas had a bubble shooter which shot special "giggle bubbles". These bubbles caused Ace to laugh uncontrollably, like a mild version of Joker venom. ''Batman: The Animated Series'' Bud and Lou appeared in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures numerous times. They appeared to prefer Harley Quinn over The Joker, and when Harley wasn't present The Joker refused to feed them. They were also featured in Batman: Gotham Adventures several times but appeared mostly as brief cameos on covers rather than appearing in the actual story. Harley was able to summon them to protect her by simply screaming "Babies!" and she refused to leave with the Joker when he was planning to nuke Gotham, because Bud and Lou would have been caught in the explosion. It has been speculated by fans that the reason why Bud and Lou prefer Harley in this version is due to spotted hyenas having a matriarchal society, putting Harley above Joker in the hyenas' eyes. ''The Batman'' Bud and Lou appear briefly with the Joker on The Batman, but are actually depicted as being more monstrous and disgusting, mangy critters. Unlike their original versions, they were albino, a fact remarked on by the Joker, who said they resembled "their dad". They were sent after Batman, Batgirl and Catwoman on Killgore Steed's private island, but were subdued and befriended by Catwoman, who remarked that hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs in response to Joker's surprise that a "canine" would be so friendly with her. ''Batman: Arkham City'' Before the events of the game, when Black Mask first wound up in Arkham City and ran into Joker and Harley, Bud and Lou tried to attack him. Bud and Lou appear in the game Batman: Arkham City. They are on display in Cyrus Pinkney's Institute of Natural History, which has become the Penguin's stronghold in Arkham City. When activating the display, the Penguin's recording says "Recognise Joker's pets? Me too. That's why I had them shot and stuffed!" Scanning the hyenas solves the Riddler riddle "Have Joker's pets laughed themselves to death, or just eaten too much?" Trivia *Bud and Lou are named after the renowned comedic duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Appearances *''Batman: The Animated Series'' *''Krypto The Superdog'' *''The New Batman Adventures'' *''The Batman'' *''Batman: Arkham City'' Injustice 2 Bud and Lou appear during Harley Quinn's opening cutscene. As she walks by them, she pets them affectionately. One of her pre-battle statements mentions that she intends to feed her opponent to them. Harley can call on them by throwing a treat, causing Bud or Lou to run across the screen and damage her opponent. In her ultimate attack, Harley sics the hyenas on her target by pointing and yelling, "Snack time!" They maul the target for a few seconds before Harley whistles and calls them off. Category:Pets Category:Deceased Characters